Big Bear, Recent Randoms, and Stepping Out of My Box

Two weeks ago our Labor Day was a 4 day weekend!!
Yahoo!!
Except Mr. H had to work on Monday, so only a 3 day weekend for him. 
But we made the most of it!
Friday morning we packed a few things in a bag and drove up to Big Bear.
The weather has been so hot and humid and gross here and we were so excited to get up to the fresh crisp mountain air!

This particular trip was a little bit sad though because my Grandma's cabin sold and this was our last time staying the night.  Womp womp womp. :(  
Mr. H and I sure would love to buy our own place up there some day.  
Regardless of that being a little sad, we still had a great time.
We took the girls to the Discovery Center, on the other side of the lake from where the cabin and my Dad's boat are.  It was fun to explore on that side a bit and the girls loved the Discovery Center.
We did a short little hike they have there, and picked up some information on some longer hikes that we want to check out our next trip up.

After that we scoped out a Mexican restaurant we thought we'd try for dinner.  BB isn't known for the best resaurants so I was a little nervous but it was pretty good.  We ate at Azteca, but first we went to Vons for a few grocery items, and also had our first pumpkin spice lattes of the season!!!  So very Fall.  

 I posted this picture on instagram with the quote "The bad news is time flies.  The good news is you're the pilot." -Michael Althsuler

The next day my parents were heading up to spend the weekend too.  While we waited for them to arrive, we went to Snow Summit and took the girls up to the top of the ski lifts.  What a view.  I've never done that in the Summer time and it was fun and the girls quickly got over their fear of the lift!

By the time we got back, my parents were at the cabin and we spent the rest of the day out on the lake with them.  Did a lil fishin', motorboatin' and might have even done some day drinkin'. ;)

 Clairey was the only one to catch a fish all day!

 We drove down the mountain that night because we had a lot of stuff we wanted to do around the house the next day.  Starting with our front porch.

 It needed some curb appeal.

 Big time.
The spot by the door has been empty since we ripped the bushes out that used to be there and I've been anxious to find something to plant there.

 We bought two jasmine plants but haven't put them in the ground yet because I'm not sure if they'll get enough sun in this spot.  So we are waiting it out to see.  Mr. H replaced our old dingy doorbell with a new bright shiny light up one.  Such a small little doorbell but what a difference.

 Hannah spotted the Welcome Fall flag at Lowe's so we got that, and a few hydrangeas to add to the front too.

Sundays I'm trying to get back into meal planning for the week.  The girls have homework that they can start over the weekend so it's nice to get a head start on that on Sundays too.

 Clairey and me waiting to pick up Hannah one day.  She recently earned 10 bengal paws and got to shop the teacher's treasure chest.  She was so proud of this bouncy ball and pink kazoo she picked out.

 Hannah's got such a great soccer coach this season.  Her practices are Mon and Wed, and since I'm at work every Wed evening, I am really glad I get to make it to her Mon night practices.  The girl above in the purple stripes is our neighbor and Hannah loves that they're on the same team.  

 Our first games were last Saturday.  Unfortunately Mr. H and I both work every other weekend.  So this day I was off to take the girls.  Although... both their games were at 10am!!! Bummer!  My parents helped me out big time and took Hannah to her game, and I took Claire to hers at a different field.  It was HOT HOT HOT but they were troopers and played their hearts out.  

Recently I stepped way out of my comfort zone to try something new.
I put together a resume and a cover letter, and I applied for a job to work from home as a part time stylist for Stitch Fix.  From the moment I heard about this company I was intrigued.  It is a women's online styling service and once a month you get a personal hand selected Fix with 5 items picked just for you by a stylist (the position I was interested in).  It's really fun and I've loved getting my first two Fixes so far.  

I sent in my resume the end of July and started to think I wouldn't hear back and that was ok because I already work part time in the salon, and plan to up my days very soon, and with school, soccer, and Girl Scouts, I thought maybe adding to my plate right now wouldn't be a good idea anyway.  

But the job sounded fun.  So fun that for me, if I got it, I think I'd like it so much that it wouldn't feel like "work".  Shoot I spend time daily pinning different outfit ideas for every season for myself on Pinterest anyway.  The idea of going over other women's Pinterest boards to see what they would like to receive in their Fix sounded like a blast.  

And last week I received an email asking me to do a video interview.
I was SO excited.
And SO nervous.
And SO unsure about what to wear!!!!!!!!
So I did what any girl would do,
after work one night I tried on just about every shirt in my closet...

 and then finally decided on the outfit in the bottom right.

 The interview was only three questions, and you had 1 minute to answer.  The good thing was you could re record your answers until you were satisfied with it.  I thought about my answers to each question, and I was satisfied with my responses given the limited time I had to reply.  Of course I could have gone on but I didn't want to talk too much.  

A few days later I got an email that I did not get the job.
Womp womp womp.
Big sigh.
I didn't realize how excited I would start to get about the possibility of the job, and I was more let down than I thought I would be.
Of course I spent days analyzing my responses, and wishing I had said something more so maybe they got a better idea of who I am.
I thought that I could do a really great job as a stylist.
But, C'est La Vie I guess.
All things happen for a reason and I'm still trying to remember that.

It's like Tina Fey says, "Do your thing.  And don't care if they like it."

It's been a long time since I applied for a job.  I've already been doing hair for 15 years!!!  That sounds crazy, but I was 18 when I started.  I learned a few things by doing this, and I was proud of myself for pushing my comfort limits and stepping outside of my introverted box I love so much.

And today I read Gina's blog at The Fitnessista, and her I Will What I Want video really struck a chord with me.  And so did ballerina Misty Copeland's.  I've watched Misty's several times. So inspiring.

Anyway, I better run.
We've got soccer practice tonight.
But first, have you guys heard of this nail polish yet???

 I got it at Target and it is Ahhhhhhh-MAZ-ing!  It's a fast drying top coat but I swear it makes your polish feel like gel polish!!! My polish stays for days with this stuff on!!!  I love it.  Already on my second bottle.

I've got a WIWW post in the works too so hopefully I'll have that up on Wednesday.

Go do your thang my friends.
And don't care if they like it.  ;)

What I Wore Wednesday

I've got a handful of outfits from the last couple weeks and a special request for a WIWW from my friend Jenny, so I am linking up with Lindsey at The Pleated Poppy for What I Wore Wednesday.  If you're new to my blog, What I Wore Wednesday was started by Lindsey, taking a picture of her outfits throughout the week, and sharing them on Wednesday in an effort to encourage and inspire herself to get out of her yoga pants each day.  It sure does encourage me to do the same.  Although I do love my yoga pants.  ;)

So here's what I've been wearing...

striped tee- Old Navy, shorts- Target, military jacket- Nordstrom, Toms- Nordie's

I didn't get a full outfit pic this day, but I love these jeans!  Gap.  And the fun little hair tie was from Etsy.

orange tee- Gap, grey cami- BP Nordstrom, white shorts- Kohl's, Toms- Nordie's

red tee- Target, distressed Vigoss jeans- Nordie's, leopard shoes- Target (they even matched my leopard apron at work that day!) earrings- Nickel & Suede

palazzo pants- Target, black cami- BP, ruffled tank- Anthro, sandals- dv Nordie's, earrings- Kate Spade Nordie's, short necklace- Lisa Leonard, long necklace- BP Nordie's

slub tee- Old Navy, green tank- Target, Vigoss jeans- BP Nordie's, Toms

We had a fun dinner out with friends last weekend so I wore the Target dress I got recently with my white Target sandals.  jewelry was all from Nordie's.

camo shorts- Old Navy, pink tank- Target, white tee- Halogen Nordie's, Toms, black tote- Nordie's, earrings- Francesca's, necklace- BP Nordie's

Looks like I've been wearing a lot of shorts, tees, jeans and Toms lately.  I'm itching for our temperature to drop at least below 90 so I could maybe thinking about wearing a scarf again.  And my new camo pants and aztec sweater from the Nordie's Sale are just begging to be worn too.  

Soon.  I can feel it.
The nights are getting dark earlier.
Boise State Football starts soon.
Our pool temp has dropped from 85 to 80.
And I might have actually been chilly this morning when I walked the girls to school.
I love to layer my clothes and our summers are too darn hot to layer much more than a swimsuit and a coverup.
But soon... Fall will get here... I hope. ;)

Thanks for stopping by and be sure to check out the other link ups over at The Pleated Poppy! 

First Day of School... Already

I can't believe it's time for school again.

This is the first year that I think I wasn't quite ready to get back to it.

Don't get me wrong, I mean, all Summer long I long for those short few hours I get to myself in the mornings when both the girls are in school.  But I hate the very early start time we have.  And as much as I love structure and routine, sometimes I hate it too.

And this Summer having our very own pool in our new house has been an absolute blast for us all.  We have enjoyed the pool/spa every single day.  And it's still HOT HOT HOT outside, and I think we'd all have loved it if Summer lasted just a little bit longer.

But alas, that is not the way it works.

So today Hannah started SECOND grade!!!

And Clairey is now in Kindergarten!!!

 Hannah has had a little bit of anxiety about returning back to school.  She's my type A kid who has some ocd tendencies and likes to always be prepared for what's coming her way.  She doesn't like the unknown and there are a lot of unknowns when it comes to starting a new school year.  But this morning after Mr. H and I walked her to her new classroom and found her desk, she was all smiles and totally ready to say goodbye to us.

 And sweet Claire Bear.  Bless her heart, she's just not a morning person.  I can't say I blame her one bit.  I'm not much of a morning person either until I've had at least one and a half cups of coffee runnin' through my veins.  But poor Claire isn't drinking the java yet, and 6am is darn early to be woken from her slumber.

 She just was not in the smiling mood by 7:30am either.

 That's ok.  I wasn't worried about her today one bit.  After loving TK, and already knowing who her teacher is (same one that Hannah had in Kindergarten), and having a handful of friends in her class from TK, she was more than ready to become a Kindergartner.  

 We drove this morning because I had to stay for a half hour in Claire's class and then had some errands to run, but from now on I think we'll be walking in the mornings.  The parking lot is always so crazy in the beginning of the year.

 Hannah had a handful of friends from her class last year in her class.  And a couple nights ago on a walk after dinner she met a little girl two houses up from us that is in her class too.  She was excited to see her and it was her first day at this school so Hannah said she ate lunch with her and she showed her where the restrooms were.  

 After we said goodbye to Hannah I took Claire to her classroom where the parents stayed and did a couple of projects with their kids.  Claire was squeezing my hand pretty hard until we got to her room, and then she saw some old friends, relaxed a bit during the projects we did, and when I left her she was sitting on the carpet chatting animatedly with a little girl from her TK class last year.  I left smiling.  I am happy and excited for this year for my girls.  I'm also very anxious for next year to get them both on the same school schedule.  Right now I drop them off at 7:45am, come back to pick up Claire at 11:30, and then back again to get Hannah at 1:57.  It's a lot of back and forth and that time in the morning alone goes So.  Darn.  Quick.  This morning I had time to run to Target and Trader Joe's and back to unload the car, and then it was time to go get Claire.  

Wanna see these cute new shoes I got at Target???

Swoon.
They're leopard.  
And they're so so so comfy.
They're gonna match everythinggggg. :)

I'm off to shower and plop on the couch with Mr. H.
We started a new show on Netflix.
Orange is the New Black.
We're diggin' it.
Peace Out.

Random Stuff... & the best shoe my foot has ever slid into!

Howdy.
I emptied the pictures off my phone and I've got some random stuff to share.

 I've had a cold all week and have not felt like walking to school, so we've driven the half a mile every morning.
Our weather has been a little wacky this week.  We've had a couple days of 90 degrees!  And now today it is much cooler and the dark clouds looming above threaten rain any minute.

Usually when the girls are in school I try to run around like crazy getting as much stuff/cleaning/errands/laundry/dinner prep done as I can before Claire gets out of TK at 11:30am.  But like I said, I had a cold all week, and Tuesday morning I was up early because I couldn't sleep, so I got myself all ready, instead of throwing on the usual yoga pants and Nikes, and I decided that I would take myself out for breakfast and then to Barnes N Noble to browse a bit.

 I had a fantastic time with me, myself, and I!  I picked up some hot tea and steel cut oats for breakfast at Panera.  And then I walked over to B & N.  I browsed all the books in my usual sections and took pics of things I wanted to maybe dowload on my kindle.  Then I grabbed a copy of PW's new cookbook to look through, and a few gossip mags, and I plopped myself at a table in the cafe to eat my breakfast and flip through my reads.  I spent $6 and felt like I was so refreshed after having that downtime instead of running around.  I told myself I would try to do that once a month.  We'll see if I do.

 This book above is the one that I downloaded to my kindle.  Sounds like a really touching read.

Speaking of reads...
I just finished The Orchid House by Lucinda Riley and absolutely loved it.  I can't wait to read more books by her.
I just started The Husband's Secret, and so far I'm only 5% in and I am hooked.

 Isn't this setup so cute?  This is in the front of the salon I work in right now.  One of our hairdressers is a set designer for plays and she had this whole idea.  That's an actual real tree in the corner too. I love it and it makes the salon more fun and festive!

 Poor Hannah missed two days of school this week.  She was out Thursday and Friday.  She seems to have what I have had, but she ran a low fever so no school it was.  I kinda enjoyed having some time with just her.  Friday she felt better so we ran errands together and enjoyed some time spending the last of her birthday money at Target.  She bought a crossbody bag and it makes her look so grown up when she wears it.  

 Today I had lunch with just my girls in the Nordstrom Cafe.  I still remember trying to eat there with them both when they were so little and being so embarrassed by their loud behavior and by the mess they left on the floor and thinking I would never again be able to sit down in the cafe for a meal.  And now here we are, the girls are 5 and 7 and they had SO much fun eating lunch after we shopped.  They actually sat still and behaved themselves, and we carried on conversation, and I wasn't embarrassed by any loud and obnoxious outbursts.  It was great.  ;)

 And I also got these beauties today.  I've been hearing good stuff about the new TOMS desert wedge bootie so I thought I'd just try them on and see if the rumors were true.  Could these wedge booties really be as comfortable as all the reviews were saying???
I wasn't sure, and I was a bit concerned about the height because you know I'm already tall, and I hate to feel like a giant in a shoe that's too tall.  But oh.. my.. word..!!!  These are so comfortable I couldn't believe it!  And black is fabulous because I was thinking I could even wear them at work and if I drop hair color on them it's no big deal because they are black!  And then the sales guy helping me told me that his wife has them and loves them and she's a hairdresser and can stand in them all day.  SOLD!!! I had to have them.

 Oh my gosh I'm in love with my shoes.  ;)
After we got home I put them on and wore them around the house for an hour.
I can't remember the last time I didn't want to take my shoes off once I got home.
It was love at first sight.  :)

 These girls were showing off their new chucks.  And they were antsy.  So when Mr. H pulled up in the driveway from work, we took off for a walk with Abbey.

 And it was cold enough for me to wear my puffer vest!
I had to check the weather and my iphone told me it was 63.
I could have sworn it felt colder than that!
I told Mr. H that I better toughen up because we fly to Boise in a week and according to my weather app it looks like it's been in the 30's and 40's there!  
I better bring my new booties to keep me warm! ;)

 We walked over to the park by our house and the girls even needed to grab their mittens and beanies.  

 Dinner tonight was crockpot lentil soup.
Found the recipe on Pinterest.
Good ole Pinterest, I love you!
This recipe was SO easy!
I threw it in the pot before we left for the farmers market and mall this morning.  
It took me a few minutes.
And Mr. H and I loved it!
The girls turned their noses at it, but that didn't surprise me.
So I made them eggs and a frozen waffle. 

Tomorrow my baby girl turns 5!
I can't believe it.

 This is on her 4th birthday last year.
I couldn't believe how long her hair has gotten!

And I had forgotten about their party last year.
We had a party at our local bowling alley with a few friends and as soon as we got there Hannah started saying she didn't feel good.  We could tell she was really sick and it must have just hit her.  That night she had a 105 fever and the next day we found out she had tonsilitis.  Poor thing.  
I hope that their magical day at Disneyland this year made up for last year's birthday!

Tomorrow we will be celebrating Claire by taking her to see the play Snoopy at our local theater.
Then we're having some family back to our house for pizza and cake.
For now I've got to go.
The Boise State game is on and my Dad is here to watch it with us.
Mr. H bought me the new In Style magazine, so I've got lots to do during the game. ;)